Automatons, what are these mysterious mechanical objects and how do they move? Claire explores the very first robots looking all the way back to Ancient Greece! We’ll see how automatons have been engineered over centuries by different cultures throughout the world. Learn how some automatons are designed for creative reasons such as life-like animals that move and make noise! While other automatons serve a useful purpose and can help us with every day tasks like telling the time.

Finally get creative and design your very own spinning automaton. You’ll need cardboard, scissors, tape, a ruler, two wooden skewers, a pencil and some colouring supplies. Once you’ve mastered the spinning automaton, re-engineer your design to try and change the way it moves. Maybe it can go up and down? Maybe it can move left and right? Engineering is all about experimenting, so bring your creativity and let’s get building!

This video was made with support from MathWorks.

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